Washington DC., 2016-05-13 (China Daily) – When Elizabeth Trudeau, director of US State Department Press Office, read a statement on Tuesday about a US Navy surface ship “exercising the right of innocent passage” while transiting near China’s Yongshu Reef that day, she said it was to uphold the rights and freedoms of all states under international law and to challenge the excessive maritime claims of some claimants in the South China Sea.

She was soon challenged by an Associated Press reporter about who determines what constitutes an excessive maritime claim. Trudeau, who, like most people, clearly does not understand much of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, said this is consistent with UNCLOS.

She was then reminded that the US has not ratified UNCLOS, unlike more than 160 other countries. The US’ concern is that ratifying the convention would subject it to international laws that would diminish the US’ sovereignty on the high seas.

Such hypocrisy aside, the US Navy action reflects the deep-rooted US mentality that it is the self-appointed world’s policeman.

It was just like a CNN report earlier this week talking about Russian military presence in Syria. In the end, the reporter quoted a Syrian civilian as saying that peace and stability can only be brought about by Syrian people, not external forces, implying that the Russian forces are not helping.

Yet as anyone who does not have short memory knows too well it was the US and its NATO allies that were the first external forces to become involved in the conflict in Syria, when they supplied arms to rebel groups and when US President Barack Obama said in 2011 that Syrian President Bashar Assad must go. Since their intervention, the Syrian conflict has escalated, causing huge loss of civilian lives, an influx of refugees and the rise of the Islamic State extremist group.

Unlike his predecessors, Obama’s rhetoric has been less supportive of US being the self-appointed policeman of the world. In his last State of the Union Address in January, he said, “How do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman?”

However, the US’ actions in Syria, Libya and now the South China Sea suggest the US still regards itself as far beyond all other nations and international organizations such as the United Nations.

Yes, the world needs a policeman, and it is debatable whether UN can effectively serve that role. But the US’ track record in this regard is hardly impeccable. Throughout the past half a century, it has supported and armed many ruthless dictators from Asia to Africa to Latin America. And it has enforced international laws in favor of its security allies and partners, no matter how bad they behave.

We should not forget that both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden were good friends of the US just less than three decades ago.

The fact of the matter is the world is no safer today with the US serving as the world’s policeman, or in euphemism, exercising its global leadership.

I am not denying it has played a positive role at times, but the role of world’s policeman clearly needs to be kept under scrutiny by the UN and the international community. Otherwise, it invites chaos if every big power appoints themselves as a global or regional policeman.

A Pew Center poll released on May 5 about America’s role in the world showed that most Americans say it would be better if the US just dealt with its own problems and let other countries deal with their own problems as best they can, and more people than before say the US should cut back its defense spending.

That is a clear disapproval by American people for the US playing the role of the world’s policeman.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com

Peace Through Tourism

How Travel & Tourism Can Help Restore the Balance in the Emerging New World Order

"The travel & tourism buzzword of the 21st century will be the search for balance."

That forecast was made by Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire, in the monthly strategic intelligence publication of PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, way back in February 1999. Today, it is proving spot-on as the word "balance" resonates across all industry sectors.

Travel industry conferences seeking a speaker who can offer some unique historical hindsight, unconventional foresight and thought-provoking insight on how to rebuild and restore the balance in Asia Pacific travel & tourism can email Imtiaz Muqbil by clicking here.

There Can Be No Sustainability Without Spirituality

The New World Order will be dominated by a resurgence of spirituality.

Imtiaz Muqbil claims to be the world's only travel journalist to have visited the Holy Spots of all the major world religions -- Lumbhini, Bodhgaya, Varanasi, Nalanda, Jerusalem, Vatican City, Amritsar, Makkah, Madinah, Najaf and Karbala, as well as religious spots such as Angkor Wat, Bagan, Shwedagon Pagoda, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of The Tooth, Somnath Temple, Samarkand, Bukhara and many other great mosques, shrines, temples and cathedrals worldwide.

Sustainability, ecotourism and health & wellness travel have all become so 'yesterday'. Prepare for the new generation of travel in the New World Order and raise the bar of your next conference, management forum or seminar by hearing Imtiaz Muqbil's thoughts on this unmatched game- and life-changing experience.

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Secrets of Thailand's Tourism Success

Why the Amazing Kingdom is notching up record-breaking arrivals, and what challenges it faces next

The Thai tourism industry has become by far the Kingdom's most successful service sector, one of its leading job-creators and foreign exchange-earners. Behind this success lies a fascinating history of great branding campaigns, policy and regulatory changes, budgetary bunfights, strategic thinking and influence of Royal events.

But this success has now bred a new set of management challenges that may be more difficult to overcome.

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has been monitoring the pulse of the Thai travel industry full-time since 1981. Industry conferences and management meetings wishing to benefit from a treasure trove of insights and hindsights on one of the world's great tourism success stories can drop an email here: imtiaz@travel-impact-newswire.com.

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The Rise of the Whistle-Blowers

For 15 years (January 1997-July 2012), Imtiaz Muqbil penned a hard-hitting fortnightly column called “Soul-Searching” in the so-called “newspaper you can trust”. In July 2012, the column was gagged, with no explanation.

Over the years, four columns had explicitly forecast the rise of whistle-blowers -- a prediction now coming 100% true. Read the four columns by clicking on the links below.

Too Bad Your Ad Is Not in This Spot

Space available for unique ads that demonstrate commitment to helping physically-challenged people, building global peace, improving social and cultural cohesion, providing opportunities for the under-privileged, alleviating poverty and combatting global injustice & corruption.

If your product is not meeting any of the above goals, please advertise elsewhere.

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News Vs Noise

A Unique Course for Travel & Tourism Communicators In The Internet Era

By far the vast majority of media communications in the travel industry is boring, banal and bland. The same way it has been for the last 30 years.

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has designed a special communications course to help upgrade both the context and the content of industry media material, and make it more interesting, readable and, most important, relevant.